But Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas made a separate legal point. The Supreme Court has long been opaque to the American public. Paxton's approach was based on "original jurisdiction" -- the idea that states can sue one another at the Supreme Court if there's no other remedy available. Alito wrote, and Thomas agreed, that the court didn't have a choice to shut the door on Texas. It's already featured dozens of lawsuits from Trump and his allies that have failed in state and federal courts.

Source: CNN December 12, 2020 18:33 UTC